


for you, i will

by jirachis



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Assassination Attempt(s), Fluff and Angst, Guardian Angel Han Jisung | Han, Han Jisung | Han is Whipped, Han Jisung | Han-centric, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Prince Kim Seungmin, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Sword Fighting, Thief Lee Minho | Lee Know, no mention of religion, nothing graphic, the time period is pretty obscure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:53:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29633541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jirachis/pseuds/jirachis
Summary: “You’re actually going to be the death of me,” Jisung laughed airily.“You can’t die!” Minho gasped, lightly hitting Jisung. “Who’s going to protect me when I make more dumb decisions?”—Or, Jisung is a guardian angel tasked to protect Minho, one of the most loathed thieves of their kingdom.❊Russian translation
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 34
Kudos: 258
Collections: MINSUNG FICATHON: Round One; 2020





	for you, i will

**Author's Note:**

> `Written for `[MINSUNG FICATHON](http://twitter.com/minsungficathon), for PROMPT **P122**
> 
> do check out all the other works in this collection!! they're all worth reading!
> 
> to **r** , **r** and **l** , thank you so much for the support & encouragement and for taking time to give aid to this fic! i love you guys so much!!
> 
> to prompter, i hope i gave your prompt justice! ♡ 

Jisung woke up to a terrible headache. 

He groaned and sat up from the edge of the mattress. Shaking his head, he stood up to regain his bearings. It was almost pitch dark in the place he was in, with only the moonlight shining through from the curtain of leaves and light waterfall that served as the only cover for the entrance of the small cave Minho chose as his home.

Speaking of Minho, he wasn’t on the mattress when Jisung woke up. Jisung massaged his temples, turning his head to the desk a few steps from him where, as expected, Minho’s slouched figure was sleeping. Jisung made his way toward him and almost cooed at how cute he was. He was lying facedown on a book he was reading, the candle Jisung blew out hours ago beside him.

Jisung ruffled Minho’s black hair, noting how it’s grown, with the longer parts reaching a few inches past his shoulders. He picked up the hair tie that lay on the rough ground and placed it near the human’s calloused hand. He peered at Minho's bare torso, filled with scars and freshly healed wounds. Jisung sighed wistfully.

Minho was considered by the influential people of the city an hour away from where they resided as a menace. Jisung shook his head, he didn’t blame the way the richer folk saw him. He was a thief after all. However, to the slum area just meters away from the townspeople, Minho was a friend. Minho wasn’t the only thief in the area, of course not, but he was the most loathed. He had never been caught, and Jisung, maybe a bit too meddlesome in protecting the human, was partly the reason.

Jisung was Minho’s invisible guardian angel; his consciousness being brought to attention when a snoozing 6 y/o Minho fell off a chair, and Jisung popped out of nowhere and caught him in his arms. The appearance of Jisung’s body was in sync with Minho’s. As Minho grew older and his features matured, so did Jisung’s.

He watched Minho grow. He watched as the orphan lost his smile as the harshness and prejudice of the kingdom became more and more apparent. He saw how unfair the townspeople treated the people of the slums – _rags_ , they called them. The slum area contained the poor who can’t pay the absurd taxes of the kingdom, criminals in hiding, escapees from neighboring kingdoms, and more “lowly people” as described by the richer folk.

At age 16, Minho was finally accepted to work for the townspeople at a bakery. He was never allowed to eat the bread he made, however, and was only given three gold coins as salary – barely enough to survive – as opposed to his coworker’s twenty. His thieving started from sneaking his bread to the orphanage, to pickpocketing a few more coins from the bakery owner’s pockets, to snatching fruit at the local market. 

However, it was when an 18 y/o Minho, clumsily practicing his sword swings, was spotted by a valorous traveler, a former personal guard of a late nobleman from a neighboring kingdom, did he begin to rebel directly. The traveler spotted the fire within Minho’s eyes and decided to be his training mentor. Within months, Minho was as knowledgeable as the local noblemen in combat. He was able to deflect any blade used against him whenever he snuck into their home food storages, nose wrinkling at the amount of wasted food that was left to rot due to their unreasonable high price. In a little over a year and a half later, he was as skilled as the lower patrol guards who roamed the city. He challenged them whenever they misused their status against the weaker.

There were times when Minho’s anger would get the better of him. It happened one day when he saw one of the children from the slums get thrown garbage directly at her. Minho turned expressionless, but Jisung could feel the blind rage pouring out of him. The noblemen were easily subdued, but it wasn’t enough. He cornered one of them in the alley and before he could plunge his knife right into the others’ stomach, Jisung embraced him from the back, sending warmth. “ _Don’t kill_ ,” he whispered. 

Since then, Jisung would always whisper those two words whenever Minho’s anger boils over. Somehow, it effectively snaps Minho out of it. Nothing good comes out without thinking beforehand.

Minho was a bit arrogant and confident with his developing skills, much to Jisung’s chagrin. He was always a tad bit of a child as he provoked his enemies. Jisung, sprawled on the floor beside Minho’s bed every night after a tiring day of making sure Minho doesn't get fatally poked by a knife, would complain to the stars why he was given such a difficult guy to protect.

Jisung was always there with Minho, following him wherever he went, making sure he was safe. That’s his job after all. Whenever Minho was forced to flee, he created a path for escape. When Minho was surrounded, Jisung caused a distraction. When a bandit snuck up on Minho, he would blow a small breeze in their direction to alert Minho of their presence. These small actions of Jisung helped build up Minho’s sixth sense or “gut feel” as Minho called it. 

Soon enough, Minho’s name slowly spread among the townspeople and he was forced to leave his job at the bakery. When the guards started searching the slums daily for him, with help from his mentor, Minho fled to the forest. For months after, Minho limited his visits to the kingdom as much as he could, only visiting mostly for food runs and training. 

And finally, three years after his training began, he was able to successfully disarm his mentor in combat training. Their eyes welled up in tears, even Jisung's, as the rigorous training was finally completed. The two hugged in farewell, his mentor deciding to start traveling again. She acknowledged Minho’s innate talent at sword-wielding and natural catlike agility. “Maybe you're also a bit luckier than most,” she noted knowingly.

So here was Minho now, mainly supporting the orphanage he grew up in, but also accepted any request the slum people would ask from him. His eyes would gleam whenever he was able to help others. Minho was truly selfless. In the quiet of the forest, he never stopped sharpening his skills and training his body. A few months after his mentor left, Minho started visiting the kingdom’s library to expand his knowledge. Minho aspired to develop himself, and that he did.

Some nights, Minho would cry. He was still human and would feel helpless and weak. He would talk to the stars – his dreams, wishes, and wonders as he gazed up at the night sky. He would also share his insecurities and worries. He sometimes asked if he was even strong enough.

Jisung would be sitting or lying down beside him, staring at his eyes that had their own stars shining in them. Those times, Jisung wished he could appear in front of Minho and hold his hand to comfort him. But that wasn’t part of his job. He was only meant to protect Minho. Instead, he hummed a tune, silently hoping Minho could hear it. Minho would always thank the stars before they both went back down the cliff back to his cave. He always left the cliff hopeful, all his negative thoughts gone as though the stars took it away from him. Maybe even once, Jisung heard him hum his tune back.

Minho, though he had a rough living condition, truly believed things would get better. That equality in the kingdom would be achieved regardless of status. His words were filled with conviction and even made Jisung and the slum people believe in them. Jisung respected him a lot; he was the strongest person Jisung knew. (To be fair, Jisung didn’t have much interaction with other humans. He had only read one book and decided that Minho was a much more interesting individual.) Minho also had the biggest heart and even bigger aspirations. He was still a child at heart, his youth stripped from him too early on. Nonetheless, Minho saw hope and showed determination. Jisung was enchanted by him.

And, maybe Jisung fell in love.

Jisung traced some of the scars on Minho’s sleeping body. He couldn’t always protect Minho. He was never meant to defy fate. What was supposed to happen at utmost certainty _should_ happen. Jisung didn’t know the consequences if he went against his morals. So, Minho would still make mistakes and take minor injuries. Jisung saw how Minho learned from them. Through time, Jisung became more confident in him. Minho was indeed strong and intelligent, after all.

Suddenly, Jisung’s head throbbed again. _Ah, right_. With one last glance at Minho, he walked out of the cave. His skin prickled, looking for the source of danger when he heard gruff men’s voices from inside the woods, near the clearing of the waterfall.

“I swear it’s somewhere here,” one man rasped, a torch in one hand. Jisung’s eyes glowed goldenly and his blond hair shined with the same intensity as he assessed the situation. His wings stretched, swan-like and each almost as long as his height, as he rose in the air just a few meters above the forest. _One, two, three_. There were three men still in the middle of the forest nearing Minho. “I overheard General Kim mention a treasure is hidden here.”

Calmly just as he had done multiple times, Jisung spun his hands in front of him, creating a bubble of cool water vapor that shone silver in the moonlight. He dropped it down and made five more, making sure the bandits would see. Lowering himself a little to the canopies, he fluttered his wings, causing a breeze to pass. 

“Hey, what are those? Could those be fairies?” Good, they saw them.

“They show you the proper way, right? This may be a sign.”

Jisung giggled. Folklore was truly amusing, he read some from Minho’s books! Just like that, the bandits followed the silver bubbles opposite the direction of Minho’s waterfall clearing. Jisung, just like Minho, was still a child at heart, too. A kidult, if you may. Jisung flew back shortly toward his and Minho’s home. He allowed his wings to disappear, and he gracefully stepped back down on the grassy ground.

“ _Meow_ ,” Jisung turned around and saw one of the bubbles he created fall and land on the river, Minho’s cat seeing it and meowing, probably enthralled. The moon was still out, so he decided to make himself visible before stepping nearer to the cat.

“Hey there, Soonie,” Jisung smiled as he made another bubble. Soonie, though only seeing Jisung for fleeting moments when the angel made himself present, was never scared of him. Soonie meowed again, happily pawing at the bubble and popping it before Jisung made more. He was distracted – Soonie was absolutely adorable – and didn’t hear the footsteps coming out from the cave.

“Hey!” Minho yelled, voice a little hoarse from sleep. “Who are you?”

Jisung yelped. Oh no, Minho wasn’t supposed to see him. Why was he awake? Jisung stood up, facing away from the thief immediately and covering his front with his wings for extra cover, and ran towards the thick trees.

“Wait! You’re that guy! I know you!” Minho called, his voice getting nearer as he ran after Jisung. Too late, Jisung had already made himself invisible again. Minho sighed once he reached the trees surrounding the clearing. “I just wanted to talk to you again,” Minho mumbled to himself. If only he knew Jisung was just beside him. 

Minho would never admit it out loud, but Jisung knew. His heart broke as Minho’s emotions turned melancholy. Minho, though a lot of people loved him, was lonely ever since he went in hiding here in this clearing. It had been five years since his training started, making it his third year living alone. It was mentally and emotionally taxing, Jisung knew, psyching yourself up and forcing yourself to keep moving.

Jisung closed his eyes and thought to himself. A heartbeat later, he made a decision. As long as he kept Minho safe, then _it_ should be fine, right?

The air around him buzzed with excitement.

* * *

“Stop right there!” A royal guard yelled, various screams erupting as people either evaded them or got shoved to the side. It was another day of Minho’s visit to the city. Of course, another day of being chased by a handful of guards with pointy swords.

Jisung, white robes flowing around him and halo glowing as intensely as the sun, was currently flying right above Minho, who was breezily making his escape. Minho had a grin on his face – he felt good today. The adrenaline of being chased, Jisung couldn’t relate to it. He was worried and his eyes were trained on Minho intently. One misstep and it’s over for the human.

Minho and Jisung both knew the alleyways like the back of their hands by now. Minho zipped through tight spaces, pushing random carts to block the way of the guards, and hiding either in hidden corners or in plain sight. Minho was almost out of the city when more guards came in the direction they were headed to.

Before, Jisung had to somehow alert Minho of the additional guards. But now, Minho's gut feel would tell him itself. Minho licked his lips, always a sucker for challenges. (“It helps me grow, Soonie!” Minho had mentioned to his cat before when he tried to catch fish in the river with his bare hands instead of with a net. Soonie turned away in disagreement.) Jisung assessed the situation from above: there were guards now both at his north and south. Minho could head east towards the housing areas or he could go west towards the market. Minho decided on the latter, pulling up his hood, and blending in with the people.

Jisung let out a breath of relief when he noticed that the guards looked around in confusion, unanimously nodding their heads to check the housing areas instead. That was until a merchant yelled.

“Thief!” He exclaimed, waving his arms trying to get everyone’s attention. “Give me back my apples! I’m calling the guards!” _Oh, heavens, he totally forgot Minho and Soonie were running out of food._ The commotion caused the guards to split up. Well, at least they were dealing with fewer of them than earlier. Jisung decided it was time to intervene. He blew a short breeze at Minho, signaling him to pick up the pace as he ran with a dozen apples in the sack he carried behind him. Someone bumped into him, and a bottle fell from the sack. Jisung noticed immediately and lowered himself to the ground quickly to pick it up. He gulped. 

The guards never got close as Minho easily lost them in the crowd. With one last look behind them, Jisung saw the silhouette of a tall, lean man in full armor, his authority sending waves of unease to Jisung even from afar. General Kim. He walked away after eyeing Minho. Jisung, apart from the unease, didn’t feel any threat, so he decided to stay unbothered.

Jisung kept a watchful eye from above, his pocket a bit heavier, only relaxing a bit when, ten minutes later, Minho was on the outskirts of the city, safe. He then ran towards the slums, waving at a freckled boy around his age when the small gray town came into view.

“Minho, you’re safe!” Felix cheered happily, clapping him on the back. Minho smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

“Of course I am, ‘Lix,” Minho panted, grasping his knees as he caught his breath. “The guards have nothing against me.” Jisung choked in his own spit. He was being careless for some apples just a second ago, the idiot!

Felix’s smile waned and he motioned for them to start walking. “Come, let’s go to Hyunjin, quickly. He's got a fever and hasn't eaten for days.”

“How’s the disease?” Minho asked, looking around the area. It was significantly dirtier than the city, the houses here were made of cement bricks, roofs were of rusting metal. The people, instead of wearing colorful dresses and warm coats, were wearing rags. The ground was made of gravel instead of cobblestone. It was monochrome everywhere, papers and dust scattering as with each gust of wind. “There’s… fewer people outside than when I last came a week ago.” An elderly woman waved at Minho and he waved back.

Felix looked at his feet and nodded sadly. “Not good at all. Ever since they spiked the medicine cost, which barely anyone could even afford in the first place, more and more people fell.” Felix laughed soullessly. “Four whole bottles of the medicine were being shared by ten people a few days ago when it should have been one bottle per person. It’s like they’re trying to get rid of us.” They finally reached the orphanage: a two-story building housing six children. When the previous caretaker passed, Felix and Hyunjin decided it was up to them to raise the remaining kids. Felix pushed open the doors and they immediately spotted Hyunjin who was lying on the couch, pale and weak. Felix muttered the last words silently, almost inaudible, “and it’s working.”

Minho tiptoed his way to Hyunjin, putting a hand on his forehead. He’s burning up and asleep. He shook Hyunjin a bit, waking him up.

“Hey, Hyunjin, it's Minho. I need you to eat something.” 

Hyunjin stirred, his eyes were red as he blinked them open. He gave a small smile before reaching his hand to pat Minho’s shoulder. Jisung stood by the door, but even from this far he could tell how much skinnier Hyunjin was compared to when he contracted the disease a week ago.

"You’re back. The kids are upstairs resting, I told them they weren't allowed to go out after 5:30 PM anymore.” Hyunjin told him weakly. "The virus got to Sir Park when he went out at 6 PM. I know the time isn't relevant to the disease, but I'm so desperate to keep everyone safe that I’ll believe anything." He then got into a coughing fit when he tried to sit up. Felix appeared beside them and eased Hyunjin back into a lying position, telling him not to exert himself.

"You're too kind, Hyunjin," Minho smiled as Minho opened his cotton sack. He gave an apple to Felix, who broke it in half before giving it to Hyunjin. He rummaged his hand back into the sack, jaw clenching as his worry escalated.

“Shit,” Minho whispered, frowning as he poured all the content of his sack on the wooden floor. Felix cocked an eyebrow. “I think I dropped the medicine.”

Felix’s eyes widened. “Oh no. _Minho_ –” Felix started to panic. “Hyunjin, he –”

Minho wiped his face with a hand, stood up, and put back his hood over his head. “I’ll just get a new one.”

“But there’ll be guards everywhere, you just _stole_ one right now!” Felix grabbed his wrist. “You can’t risk it and I’m not letting you go.”

“But, who will?” Minho answered. When Felix was about to point at himself, Minho shook his head. “Felix, your dad was a former guard who the king disemployed himself. The royal guards know your name, and you know how harsh they are especially to their former. I don’t doubt your skills, but if you get caught and your identity is found out, you won’t make it out alive. We can’t risk that.”

Felix was about to retort when Hyunjin started coughing again. “Minho, please don’t go,” Hyunjin managed to say. The apple in his hand was still unbitten. “I can last another week, don’t worry.” Jisung bit his lower lip in worry. Even without foresight, he could tell Hyunjin barely even had three more days.

Minho seemed to know this as well. “I’ll be back in five hours, max,” He stated before yanking his hand from Felix’s grip. Before Felix could protest, Minho had already faced the door.

Jisung turned away from the doorframe and leaned on the wall. He remembered his plan from last night. It was now or never. 

With no one in sight, he made himself visible: instead of his white angel robes, however, he changed into a tunic and baggy pants like Minho. His hair and eyes, instead of golden, were black and dark brown, respectively. Unlike Minho who had his hair in a ponytail, Jisung’s was on the shorter side, with bangs that covered his forehead. He also willed his halo and wings away for the moment. From the broken glass on the windowpane in the building in front of him, Jisung looked like a regular human. Perfect.

He heard Minho’s footsteps nearing and he swirled around to the door, blocking Minho’s way. Minho was taken aback by the surprise appearance, his hand flying towards the sword hilt on the belt of his pants. “Whoa, easy there, Minho.” Jisung breathed out.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” Minho’s voice was a mixture of shock and suspicion. 

“My name is Jisung. I’m just a wanderer who chanced by you,' Jisung smiled and showed him the opaque amber medicine bottle, swirling the liquid contents around. “You dropped this earlier.” Minho blinked, processing the situation.

“H- how? I, that’s not possible,” Minho was confused. Jisung bit his lower lip in a sudden feeling of nervousness. No one in Minho’s life had ever been able to track him down nor even be able to follow him. Well, no _human_. He couldn’t blame Minho for his disbelief. In the blink of an eye, Minho unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Jisung’s neck. “Tell me who you work for and I’ll make it swift.”

“Minho!” Felix yelled from behind, pushing him aside before snatching the bottle from Jisung with a mumbled _thanks_. “This isn’t the time for that!” Felix checked the label on the bottle, making sure it was the right one, before picking up a spoon from a plate on the table and feeding Hyunjin the medicine.

Minho and Jisung watched the scene unfold, Minho’s eyes still furrowed in deep thoughts. He pushed Jisung out the door and towards the back of the orphanage when Felix managed to feed Hyunjin two spoonfuls and no immediate side reaction came. “Okay, what’s your deal?”

“My deal?” Jisung gulped. “I’m the one who brought you back the medicine! I promise, I mean no harm. I just saw you drop it while you were escaping the guards earlier.” That seemed to make Minho annoyed.

“You see, I’m not really well-liked here, and I have a bounty on my head,” Minho still had his sword in his hand. Not that he could harm Jisung with it anyway. “Also, it’s quite impossible for regular folk like you to be able to match me. Are you a royal guard in hiding? An assassin?”

“Minho, look me in the eyes. Trust me, I mean no harm.” Jisung put his arms up, urging Minho to follow. Jisung willed himself to feel comfortable so Minho will, too – a connection he found out they shared the first time Minho felt fear. Finally, Minho’s catlike brown eyes slowly met his. They stared at each other for the first time and Jisung’s chest tightened. Minho was beautiful. The boy he grew up with. His face looked like it was sculpted by the gods, how unfair. He looked so innocent despite his words, just a youth born into a horrible society. “I want to be your friend.” Jisung managed to whisper.

“Friend?” Minho’s frown receded, and his mouth slightly opened. He blinked incredulously. “You – You look familiar,” he mumbled. “Have we –?”

He was cut off by Felix jumping on him, encasing Minho in a hug. “I heard the exchange and I’m glad you finally found a friend, Minho! I’m so proud of you!” He grinned at Jisung and extended his hand. “I’m Felix! Me, Minho, and Hyunjin grew up in this orphanage together. We dance sometimes, too!”

“I’m Jisung, nice to meet you,” Jisung shook his hand. A second later, the lampposts of the city started blinking on in the distance. 

“It’s twilight,” Felix noted. “You have to get home soon. The guards increased their numbers at night since we’ve been stealing medicine.”

Minho nodded at this information. “We’ll be heading home then,” Minho grumbled, still fixated on Jisung. “Come on. Stay safe, Felix.”

Jisung tilted his head to the side in question. “Wait, _we_?” As if to answer his question, Minho pulled at his wrist. Felix’s eyebrows shot up and a grin formed on his face. “ _That’s new_ ,” Jisung heard him mumble. Honestly, Jisung didn’t expect it. Minho never showed anyone his residence out of fear for his own safety, neither Hyunjin nor Felix even knew its exact location.

“See you next week. Tell Hyunjin to rest, he should be good as new in a month.” Minho said, putting his hood up.

“Thank you again, Minho. I honestly don’t know what we’ll do without you.” Felix waved at their retreating figures after another round of goodbyes. Jisung didn’t miss Felix mouthing “ _good luck_!”to him before Minho tugged him to a run.

Minho was holding onto Jisung’s wrist the entire time as they headed into the forest. “I _never_ show anyone this area, but I still see you as a threat. No one has ever snuck up on me like that.” They were in the middle of the forest right now, mossy ground and all that. Minho stopped walking and turned around, arms at his back innocently. “So, right now, I’ll be checking whether you’re a fluke or not,” Minho told Jisung. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes, then he smiled his cheshire cat grin and, oh, Jisung was smitten.

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”Jisung sighed nervously.

“I’ve trained for years, and I’m not about to be bested any time soon. Let’s see how good you are, mysterious wanderer.” Minho winked. “Find me.” With that, he sprinted deeper into the woods. Jisung laughed. He could feel the nervousness and hidden excitement emanating from Minho in the air. 

After a few minutes of running, he met the human again in the familiar clearing near the waterfall. Minho looked amazed, annoyed and relieved at the same time because Jisung was able to find him so quickly. Well, Jisung did have a built-in Minho-compass. Plus, he knew the forest by heart by now. After a bit of ministration from Minho (“you just got lucky!” “the ground probably still had my footprints!”), Jisung and Minho began talking. Jisung decided to ask for more reasons for why Minho didn’t leave him in the slums.

“I already told you before. I don’t fully trust you yet, of course, which is why I need you by my side. To keep watch of you,” Minho’s eyes shined, gleaming with child-like enthusiasm. Almost inaudible, Minho added, “also, you remind me of someone.” Before he could ask what he meant by that, Minho briskly walked away and beckoned him to follow. 

Jisung was shown around the area and his cave. Minho also supplied little comments about the forest, probably a bit too much for someone whom he claimed he didn’t trust (“one time I looked for berries and almost ate a poisonous one! Good thing it got swept into the river.” Jisung giggled; he was the one who pushed them off Minho’s makeshift plate, after all.) 

Jisung felt giddy. He thought it would’ve been more challenging, but his plan of befriending the human was easily accomplished. Jisung looked up at the sky. 

This was fine, right?

* * *

“You’ve grown strong, my prince, but you’re still so stiff,” Minho smirked, pointing a wooden sword at the prince’s throat. 

“Would you stop calling me that?” Prince Seungmin muttered, tossing his own sword aside. Minho mimicked him and held out a hand, pulling Seungmin to his feet. “Thanks for the compliment though.”

Jisung sat on the prince’s bed on the other side of the large room, wings folded behind him and halo floating on the top of his head, kicking his feet as he watched the two acquaintances finish their practice sword fighting.

Minho met the prince at the library by chance when they both reached for a similar book, both of them with hoods over their heads. Long-story-short, they were both kicked out of the building after bickering over who touched the book first (Seungmin did). A friendship got built between them after more loud encounters in the library, the librarian obviously fed up with this recurring occurrence. 

It wasn’t long after they finally decided to share books (Jisung had slid in an anonymous note telling them to do so) did they reveal their identities and surprisingly, neither of them was fazed – nor did they care, probably – that one of them was one of the most wanted criminals in the kingdom, and the other is the crown prince. Jisung found their friendship odd and unconventional. Funny, even.

It wasn’t easy sneaking into the castle, but Minho took advantage of the one-minute guard switch during 4 AM. He climbed the gates at the side of the castle garden, which was conveniently nearest to Seungmin’s bedroom, snuck around the shrubs, and finally climbed up the nearest tree to Seungmin’s window. Jisung would always gather leaves into a pile as a cushion just in case Minho misstepped and fell from the tree, which happened every so often to Seungmin’s delight. Jisung swore under his breath. Minho would have several fractures if he weren’t around!

Minho visited Seungmin once a month after their weekly library meetings were cut short when Seungmin’s night outs were discovered by General Kim, his uncle. The prince had been grounded for almost five months now.

“Do you have the book for me?” Seungmin asked, patting dust off his night robes. Minho tossed him the book he was reading just the other day. Seungmin caught it effortlessly as he sat down beside an invisible Jisung on the bed. 

“' _History of the Bang Empire_ ,' as you requested.” Minho stretched his arms as he laid down on the carpeted floor. “They had a nice empire, unlike this damn kingdom. There were no slaves, no poor. Everyone was treated humanely.” Minho spat. “I hate your dad.”

“As you mention with every given opportunity,” Seungmin chuckled. “Likewise. He never actually did anything when my uncle locked me up here. Probably because I kind of yelled at him for being terrible at managing this kingdom.” 

Minho sat up, a laugh bubbling in his stomach. “You did what? No way.”

“I got fed up with his rambling during supper. He really isn’t that good of a father, so I’m not surprised he’s terrible at being a leader, too. Someone needed to tell him off,” both of them started laughing, trying their best to shush each other. Jisung didn’t know what they found funny. Seungmin waved his hand at the bookshelves lining his wall then at Minho when their giggles died down. “I know that ruling the kingdom won’t be a piece of cake, but I’m ready. I’ve seen with my own eyes the obvious disparity between the rich and poor, and the treatment of the military to the townspeople.” Seungmin breathed in. “I can’t have that.”

Minho hummed in agreement. “I trust you.”

“I take it you’ll still stick around me when the time comes?” Seungmin questioned, despite knowing the answer.

“Kim Seungmin, you’ve asked this question every single time I visit,” Minho stood up then, sitting down on a chair opposite the bed. “Until this damn disease gets to me, you have my loyalty.”

And there it was. The real reasons for the prince and the thief’s allegiance, Jisung thought with a smile.

Kim Seungmin needed an anchor, an assurance, that he’ll be able to be king. Jisung noted his diminishing insecurity with ruling the kingdom ever since his friendship with Minho budded. With Minho’s presence and opinions, the prince was able to note the issues and come up with solutions for the shortcomings of his father. Juggling the internal problems of the castle and kingdom, and external agreements with other kingdoms, Seungmin often daydreamed how he’ll manage them all. He could envision it. He was confident.

Minho was full of hope, and he saw it in Seungmin. Although he feigned reluctance at times, he fully trusted that Seungmin would be a reliable king and would hear the voices of his people. So, he agreed to train the prince and support him in whatever he needed. Seungmin was vital in his vision. Minho saw his and the kingdom’s hope in Seungmin, and he knew he’ll stay by his side no matter what. His gut told him this was the right decision. He was confident as well.

Their friendship was centered on mutual trust.

“However, I realized that my father isn’t the one to blame for the most part,” Seungmin noted, his finger scratching his chin in thought. “It was getting more obvious by the day that whatever my uncle wished was getting granted. I actually feel like he’s the one actually dictating the rules on this land now.”

“You think your father is being used as his puppet?” Minho asked, crossing his legs. “How weak of him. No wonder the brutality and discrimination have increased. Your military is handling the land.” Seungmin groaned in agreement. Minho continued, “fine by me, I can take down your guards.”

They were interrupted by a knocking on the door and Seungmin rushed over as a maid unlocked his door. He took the tea from her while making sure the door didn’t open fully to reveal Minho. After saying his thanks and closing the door, he heard the maid click the lock back on. Seungmin sighed as he sipped on the Jasmine tea, his favorite. With the maid’s knocking, it signalled that dawn was approaching. They spent the little time they had left chatting about their days and humoring each other.

“General Kim was surprised at my sudden sharpness in sword fighting during training earlier, you know. He probably didn’t expect me to be this good in such a short span of time.”

“He’s impressed by _that_?” Minho snorted. Seungmin glared at him and Minho raised his arms in surrender. “Well, you train with me, so I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“You’re too arrogant for your own good,” Seungmin waved his hand in dismissal. “How about you, anything happened recently?”

“These skills are what keeps me alive. They’re all I have, of course, I take pride in them,” Minho yawned, stretching and readying himself to depart from the prince’s quarters. “Not much, just the usual raids. Oh, I made a friend last week. He’s probably sleeping right now in my cave. I should probably get back before he gets worried.” A blush crossed Minho’s cheeks as he said it. Those last words probably slipped from his lips. Seungmin sat up straighter and tilted his head with a smirk.

“Lee Minho?” Seungmin grinned with mock surprise, his voice turning into a teasing tone. “Made a _friend_?”

Minho coughed. “I don’t get why everyone’s so surprised by this. Am I not _your_ friend? Also, I grew up with two people in an orphanage remember? We still keep in touch. Friends!”

“Hyunjin and Felix, right? They’re basically your brothers. Technically, the only friend you have is me. How can I not feel proud? My criminal baby is finally growing up!” Seungmin wiped an invisible tear from his eyes mockingly. Minho threw a sharp pen at him, to which Seungmin easily dodged. “You finally found someone you trust? You actually introduced someone into your home! And you’re worried that he might get lonely waking up without you? Is he your lover or something?” Jisung can’t stand this conversation. He was heating up with every word that left Seungmin’s mouth. Checking Minho, he wasn’t faring any better. A flush formed from his neck and his ears were as red as cherries.

Minho choked on his spit, rubbing the back of his neck as the crimson on his face got more evident by the second. He walked over to the window a bit awkwardly. “I already have my eyes on someone else, remember?” Oh. Jisung didn’t know this. He felt a slight pang in his chest. Who was it?

“Your imaginary blond boy with the pretty voice who played with your cat?” Oh, it was Jisung. Hold on. _What_? _Me?_ Jisung felt dizzy. “I can’t believe you fell in love with a wet dream.”

“He’s not imaginary! I just saw him the other night! I think,” Minho stuck out his tongue, flinging his left leg out the window.

“You think.”

“Anyway, Jisung and I are going fishing in an hour, so I’ll be going now. See you around, my prince.”

“Say hi to Jisung for me! Kiss him on the cheek while you’re at it.” 

Minho threw profanities back at a guffawing Seungmin. Distracted by Minho and Seungmin’s earlier words that played on loop in his head, it was actually a very much flustered Jisung who face-planted onto the pile of leaves instead of Minho. He lay on the leaves for a few seconds, only choosing then to spread his wings pathetically.

Thank the heavens he was invisible.

* * *

Minho and Jisung’s friendship escalated quickly despite Jisung pretending Minho was still a stranger. Technically, they’ve only known each other for a few weeks. 

Jisung, though Minho was reluctant at first, officially gained Minho’s trust during the times they snuck into the city for a food run in the marketplace and for medicine bottles in the local medic building. Their visits to the kingdom became more frequent. Jisung never actually stole anything, however, since it was against his morals. He had tried coercing Minho to eat wild berries and fish from the forest instead of stealing meat and apples from the merchants. That didn’t work, obviously. 

Aside from thieving, Minho really wanted to aggravate the guards as well, to show them they don’t have full authority over everyone in the kingdom. Jisung would close his eyes and face the starry sky after every trip while Minho gloated on the number of guards he had picked on that day. Why did they assign Jisung such a troublesome human?

It was fun running around the cobblestone paths with Minho, though. It definitely was a different experience than being up in the air. His sense of danger and awareness was much higher than Minho’s, so despite not having an aerial view, he was able to navigate them to safety every time. Minho was impressed.

During every raid, Minho tried to snatch as much medicine as possible. The disease seemed to have disappeared from the city, yet the number of people in the slums still getting infected was still increasing. He and Jisung distributed them to the families, prioritizing the ones whose symptoms were severe. Minho’s anger towards the kingdom increased with every person who got sick. Jisung’s anger also manifested eventually when a sick elderly woman passed out right into his arms. He used to only care about Minho, but he was starting to get a soft spot for other humans as well. Did Minho feel this much care toward everyone?

Minho’s carefree influence started rubbing off on people as the days passed. Once, there was a group of slum people who had wanted to buy food from the market. Without warning, the guards were all over them, forcing them on their knees for absolutely no reason. Yet, they refused to be taken down. Jisung heard their voices mentioning Minho’s name. How they weren’t afraid of them. How Minho inspired them to fight back and be brave. Before they could get beaten for talking back, luckily, Minho arrived in the nick of time and subdued the guards.

Jisung felt uneasiness right after they made sure the people were able to escape safely, and he pulled Minho into a run toward the forest. When he looked back, he noticed the same figure as before watching them escape. 

General Kim’s figure kept appearing and disappearing during their kingdom visits. Jisung felt nauseous because of this. From the rumors afloat in the crowd, the general had grown harsher just these few weeks. No one was safe in the kingdom. Public beatings happened under his command at the smallest of inconveniences whether or not they were guilty of the crimes. Anyone who dared speak up was either hit or sent to the dungeons, never to be seen again. Also, according to Felix, a curfew had been recently put up. For some reason, the king and general were inducing fear into the kingdom. Did the king know this? 

He also worried about Minho. Ever since he rescued people from the marketplace, more people started rebelling, whether or not they knew Minho was there. They would vandalize property, steal, or fight guards in bigger numbers. As the number of people joining these riots increased, the more difficult it was for them to get subdued. The kingdom was in chaos. As Minho’s name sparked fire toward the people’s hearts as the fallouts of the kingdom became more blatant, he became more of a valuable target. The general would love to have his neck.

Jisung shook his head. Minho had never been captured before. The kingdom’s problems shouldn’t be his problem as long as Minho was safe. He’s only here to protect Minho and his insides told him he shouldn’t even let the human be even five meters within the general’s radius. Something told him nothing good will come from Minho being in the vicinity of the general.

The drawback of having been beside Minho was that his feelings towards him only grew. Jisung was in awe every time and the fond looks Minho gave him weren’t helping in the slightest. He found himself blushing when they went fishing, Jisung holding a single fish while Minho cockily chortled at him, two flopping fish in each hand. Jisung felt endeared whenever Minho drooled on a page of a book he spent a whole night reading, wanting to make sure that Seungmin would like it. He found himself falling even more in love when one of the kids in the orphanage gave Jisung a crayon drawing of himself and Minho. Apparently, Hyunjin and Felix told the kids of Jisung’s existence in Minho’s life, and the kids (like everyone else) were overjoyed at Minho gaining a friend. The drawing was now on Minho’s desk.

Even if Jisung tried forcing himself not to care for the people Minho held dear, he couldn’t help feeling a tad bit worried for them whenever they came back to the forest. He would catch himself thinking about them, if they were able to eat well today and the days before. If there was enough medicine to last them three more days before Minho came back. Heavens, Minho managed to give Jisung a soft spot for other humans.

Once, Minho tripped on an overgrown tree root during their morning jog around the forest. It happened in slow motion in Jisung’s eyes and his guardian angel instincts kicked in. He was at Minho’s side swiftly, supporting him before he could face plant onto the mossy ground. His breath hitched as he lay Minho down, Jisung caging him with one arm from above. Minho’s eyes blinked numerous times almost comically as some sort of recognition clicked in his brain. Like the last piece of a puzzle was finally placed. 

With the sunlight peeking through the leaves above them, Minho looked angelic. His features were painted with gold, highlighting the sharpness of his nose, the rich brown of his eyes, the dark of his long hair beautifully fanned on the ground like a halo. _Absolutely ethereal_. Their eyes were locked in one another’s, immersed in the situation they found themselves in.

Minho inhaled sharply. “Not that I needed someone,” he murmured, reaching up to curl his arms around Jisung’s neck. “But I think you saved me.”

“I think you’re being a little too dramatic,” Jisung giggled. Minho tsk-ed and pulled Jisung down into a hug. Jisung’s head was tucked into the crook of Minho’s neck and they stayed that way for what felt like forever; Jisung feeling Minho’s quick heartbeat against his body. 

“Tonight, let’s go stargazing on the cliff. I just want to confirm something,” Minho whispered into Jisung’s hair before sitting up. Jisung felt Minho’s embarrassment, but he made no effort to stand up from the ground as Minho awkwardly walked away, the shell of his ears a bright red.

Jisung was frozen. Was he being selfish, falling in love with a human? Was this wrong? He questioned himself and looked upwards, the sunlight bathing him in warmth. 

No, this was fine.

* * *

“I like to call that one Soonie because it resembles Soonie a lot,” Minho gleefully gushed, connecting random stars and forming patterns with his pointer finger. Jisung personally couldn’t see what Minho was talking about, but he still found him endearing. “That one beside it is the squirrel one. It looks like you!” “Hilarious, Minho,” Jisung rolled his eyes. A comfortable silence was met after, both of them just enjoying the glitter on the sky and the cool night breeze. The gushing of the river beside them before it falls down in a waterfall and the splashing it made at the bottom of the cliff were calming. This was the same waterfall in front of their cave. Crickets can be heard chirping in the forest behind them as well as the occasional flap of wings from the bats.

They had spent the last hour gazing at the night sky. It was comforting, not foreign to Jisung as he had accompanied Minho a lot here before. However, with his presence known, it felt more personal. This was Minho’s private time when he acknowledged his own feelings, talking to the stars as though they listened to what he said. Despite knowing each other for only three weeks now, this was the first time Minho had invited Jisung.

“You know, this is the first time I got to see the stars with someone in years,” Minho said almost silently, afraid that if he spoke too loud it would break the calmness of the night. “It’s actually my mentor who told me that whenever I felt alone, I should talk to the stars in the heavens above because they’ll always listen to you. She was the one who showed me that the current state we live in isn’t hopeless.”

Jisung nodded and Minho used it as a sign to continue, “everyone bugged me about being too focused on the reality that I forget about myself. Which is true, but can you blame me? I trained so hard, I feel too much spite, I just want to feel peace.” At this, Jisung held Minho’s hand. His breath hitched when Minho laced their fingers together and shifted his position to face him. Jisung shuffled his position as well, both now lying eye-to-eye with each other.

“You shouldn’t stress yourself so much on things you have no control over. It’s not up to you to save everyone. You’re not alone in this fight,” Jisung scolded, eyes gazing at Minho’s which twinkled like the stars above. “Seungmin, Hyunjin, Felix, and probably a lot more are concerned for both you and the kingdom.”

“I just want to let the castle know that there are people like me who aren’t afraid of them, who aren’t going to just accept whatever they decide on,” Minho’s voice was wavering as he spoke; he obviously wasn’t used to being vulnerable. “For those who feel oppressed by the system, I want to be their hope.”

“You already are,” Jisung squeezed Minho’s hand after he spoke to show him that he listened. “I saw one of the kids in the orphanage draw you in a crown on top of the castle. Seungmin should be worried,” Jisung jested, facing back towards the sky. “Another kid also told me she plans on making a bakery when she grows up because the bread you gave her last week tasted so good. You see, the kids have high dreams now, all because of you,” Jisung heard Minho intake a sharp breath. “And those are just the kids. Imagine all the other people you sparked hope in. We all believe in you. You have to believe in us and yourself, too.” 

A comfortable silence passed between them. “You’re hope,” Jisung added with a proud smile. He felt Minho’s gaze on him and may have heard a little sniffle from him. 

After a few minutes, Minho started talking again, this time with a slight nostalgia in his tone. “Have I ever told you the first time I felt genuinely terrified?” Jisung shook his head. Minho continued, “it was the same time I made a friend before, I think. Seungmin said it was my imagination, but I swear it wasn’t. It was also when I met Soonie for the first time.

“There was a heavy storm one night and the river nearest the slums overflowed due to fallen trees from the forest. The current was harsh and fast; Soonie was lucky I heard his cries despite the heavy rain and thunder.” Minho inhaled deeply, as though the memory were still fresh.

“Without thinking, I grabbed onto a tree branch and reached over to the rock Soonie was stranded on. I wasn’t able to check the strength of the branch, so when I finally had Soonie in my hands, the branch broke and I fell into the current. Soonie in my arms, we were tossed around by the ice-cold water until I hit a rock.” Minho rubbed the back of his head, indicating where the collision happened. “I was losing consciousness, holding onto both Soonie and the rock. I felt my strength and consciousness fading. It was the first time I ever felt that kind of fear.” Jisung nodded. He remembered this just as much as Minho did. The memory was incredibly unpleasant for Jisung as well. He felt Minho’s fear in himself driving him to run faster as he chased after Minho who was being swept away by the current.

“As I was about to blackout, I heard someone humming a familiar song. It was a song my orphanage mom sang us to sleep. Then, a warmth engulfed me, urging me to let go of the rock. It was like the power of the current subsided then. I saw blond hair, fairly chubby cheeks, and a golden halo.” Jisung realized he was holding his breath, and Minho noticed judging by the quirk of his eyebrow. “I lost consciousness after that. When I woke up on the riverside completely dry, I saw a retreating figure of white and gold behind the trees. Beside me were an equally dry sleeping Soonie and a white swan feather.”

Jisung shifted his position and stared into Minho’s eyes as he talked. “Sometimes, I still see him. I still hear him, but he never makes his presence known to me. An enigma that makes me question my sanity.” Somehow, both of them subconsciously gravitated toward each other as Minho spoke.

“Who knows? Maybe he has a good reason for keeping his distance,” Their breaths were now mingling due to the close proximity. Jisung could hear his heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears. Minho was so beautiful. 

“My mentor told me once that I was lucky. She said I was special since I had someone looking out for me, and I believed her. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I still push forward every day. She made me believe someone was actively supporting me each and every day,” He touched foreheads with Jisung. The air surrounding them was buzzing with tense energy, a confession. “I don’t want to disappoint them.”

Jisung closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Minho’s hand. “I’m sure he’s so proud of you.”

“I can’t believe I fell in love with someone I haven’t even met,” Minho laughed breathily. Jisung’s ears felt hotter and he let out a small gasp. Minho released his hand from Jisung’s to hold him by the waist.

“You’re not difficult to fall in love with,” Jisung confessed, he felt a comfortable heat where Minho held him. “You’re amazing, you know?”

“You mean that?” Minho gasped. Their lips were so close. 

Jisung nodded once. “Where do you think he is?”Jisung whispered. Minho cupped Jisung’s cheek with his free hand, brushing his thumb over his cheekbones. Jisung closed his eyes as Minho leaned forward. 

Except Minho jumped up, surprising a red-faced Jisung who rolled onto his back. Minho had an evil grin on his face. “That’s exactly what I want to find out, Jisungie!” Minho exclaimed, effectively breaking whatever mood they had going.

“Wait, wh –” Jisung sputtered, eyebrows knitting in confusion. Was he reading this all wrong? Minho’s face was still rosy, and his ears were still burning, so he couldn’t have been wrong. What was going on?

Suddenly, Jisung’s instincts kicked in. _Minho was going to be in danger soon._

“I’m sorry for this,” Minho winked then closed his eyes. Without even letting Jisung have a chance to speak nor a chance to understand what in the heavens was going on, he bounded towards the edge of the cliff and jumped off.

Minho jumped off the cliff right after confessing his love to his angel. The absurdity of it all.

Wait, _Minho jumped?_

Jisung’s eyes flashed golden instantly and his wings sprouted in full size behind him. From his peripheral, he could tell that his dark hair turned blond as well. He sprinted after Minho, his protectiveness getting the better of him, and dived down the cliff. Said cliff was probably around the height of a 10-story building at best with a grassy ground, but he knew Minho wouldn’t get out of this unscathed. He knew Minho knew too, the bottom of this cliff was where their cave-slash-home was.

Jisung immediately saw Minho just a few feet below him. He was facing the sky with his arms crossed and eyes shut closed. His black long hair, free from its ponytail, was whipping around his face. Jisung narrowed his wings to get to him faster, and finally, a few feet from the ground, Jisung caught him. Suspended in the air, Jisung hugged him tightly with his arms underneath Minho’s.

“You’re an idiot! An actual imbecile!” Jisung chastised, bumping his forehead on Minho’s. Minho chuckled, his voice slightly high-pitched and shaky from adrenaline. Minho’s skin was pale and cold from the jump. He calmed down his heartbeat and evened his breathing before he began talking.

“I knew it was you,” Minho exhaled. He opened his eyes and from them, Jisung could see the gold that shone back at him. Minho smiled widely. “My angel.”

“Hi, it’s me.” Jisung frowned at him and Minho began laughing again. “But what if I weren’t, you stupid human?”

“My gut is always correct,” Minho stated matter-of-factly. How arrogant. “Also, can you put me back on the ground now? I’m pretty terrified of heights.”

“You were the one who decided on doing a death stunt to lure me out. Did your mentor teach you that?” Jisung chided but slowly floated down to the grassy clearing. Minho let out a sigh of relief now that they’re on land. Even still, Minho stayed put in front of Jisung and refused to let go of him. He decided to sit on the angel’s lap. “For a dumb human, I’m surprised you aren’t scared of me.”

“I mean, I was, at first. But, I already had a feeling you weren’t going to harm me even before I discovered you’re an angel,” Minho smiled, cupping his hand on Jisung’s cheek again. “Plus, human or not, you look absolutely beautiful.” Jisung rolled his eyes, but leaned into the touch, pouting a bit when Minho gave him a little squeeze. The look Minho was giving him right now was pure fondness. His words were sincere and careful.

“You’re actually going to be the death of me,” Jisung laughed airily, his face heating up as his annoyance faded. Jisung’s arms lowered onto Minho’s hips and squeezed. He leaned forward, eyes half-lidded.

“You can’t die!” Minho gasped, lightly hitting Jisung’s bicep. Their noses were touching and their words were just as silent as breaths. He could feel the heat emanate from Minho, whose face was turning crimson with each passing second. “Who’s going to protect me when I make more dumb decisions?” 

“Hmm, not my problem,” Jisung whispered. He could already feel Minho’s hot breath on his cold lips.

“You’ll be sent to angel prison if you neglect me. That’s what my mentor said,” Minho chuckled.

“Quit ruining the mood before I bring you back up the cliff and push you off,” their lips were brushing together, both of their eyes closed in anticipation.

“You wouldn’t,” Minho’s voice was shaky. His other hand moved to the nape of Jisung’s neck to hold him in place.

“Yeah, it’s my job.” 

Finally, their lips met in a slow yet cautious kiss. It was just a simple press of lips, both careful as though the other was made of glass. They parted a second later, smiled, and dived back in, but this time was less hesitant. Their lips moved together perfectly and it wasn’t soon before Minho deepened the kiss. 

It was perfect. Jisung couldn’t help smiling into the kiss as they stayed glued to each other for what felt like hours, yet could only probably be a few minutes.

Both can’t believe this was finally happening. Jisung pushed back any thoughts he had about overstepping. Being together like this with Minho was definitely worth it.

(“How did you know it was me?” Jisung asked, fingers playing with Minho’s hair while the other caressed the feathers of Jisung’s wings. They were lying down on their mattress. Jisung decided to go back to his human form albeit the wings.

“First, you sang the orphanage song similar to that day by the river,” Oh, that was a force of habit. He knew that tune calmed Minho. “It was also the same song that I hear whenever I’m up here on the cliff crying. The same one you hummed when you played with Soonie the last time you showed up. It’s my favorite tune. You have a really pretty and unique voice, too. It could only be yours.

“Second, you actually aren’t very subtle. Is this your first time disguising yourself as a human?” Jisung elbowed the other playfully. It was. “When you get overly emotional like when we were being chased by guards or when… more and more people from the slums fell sick, your eyes flicker gold.” At that, Minho pressed soft kisses on both his eyelids. “I catch myself staring at you, apparently, even when I was still so sure you weren’t the angel from my memories. Congratulations, Jisung, you had me completely enamored just by escaping stupid guards with me. The way you would so casually zip through alleys and keep up with me? I was amazed.” Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Of course you’d fall in love with someone who’s as skillful as you. Big surprise there, you narcissist,” Jisung teased.

Minho stuck his tongue out. “Finally, bringing back my last statement from earlier, I just knew that no human can keep up with me. And I was right! Alas, my pride is back!” Minho rolled over the mattress before Jisung would accuse him of being arrogant again, flung his arms around Jisung, and planted a big kiss on his cheek. “I can’t wait to tell this to Seungmin.”)

They both fell asleep with their limbs crisscrossed on top of each other. Jisung couldn’t fall asleep even when Minho had begun snoring an hour ago. He just couldn’t shake the feeling of danger he felt on the cliff. It never left Jisung somehow, even when he tried forcing himself to believe that it was from Minho’s stunt from just earlier. Maybe it was just a leftover feeling? He pulled Minho’s body closer to him.

* * *

Something felt off today. Totally off. The feeling from last night just escalated.

Minho wasn’t able to tell Seungmin anything about Jisung. From the moment he appeared in the window, Seungmin pulled him inside, a serious look adorning his face. “Something bad is happening.”

“What do you mean?” Minho asked, putting the book recommendation he had for Seungmin on the desk by the window before allowing himself to get pulled further. “Was it the newest riot just earlier?”

“Yeah, but it’s more on the cause of it. You know my father implemented a curfew, right?” Minho nodded, glancing at where he presumed Jisung was. “My father ordered a curfew because a letter containing a death threat to the king was found tied on an arrow a few weeks ago. It hit one of the patrol guards that was scheduled to inspect the slum area. It was kept classified information to not spread panic, but you must’ve noticed that the royal guards were more present since you last came?” Jisung realized this was true – General Kim’s presence which was before only seen rarely was now a daily sight. 

“No one knows who it came from, but indirect attacks towards the king had been more frequent, mostly poisoned arrows. My father became paranoid after the third attempt of his life and refused to leave his room,” Seungmin recounted, pacing back and forth. “The letter contained the emblem of our Kingdom. I’m afraid an assassin was sent.” 

“Do you think there’s someone who wants to overthrow you guys?” Minho inquired, plopping himself on the bed and Jisung following. Though he was currently invisible, he let warmth seep from him, telling Minho of his presence. He rested his head on Minho’s shoulder and held his hand.

Seungmin hummed in agreement. “My uncle has been heading the investigation, trying to get the truth out of people he finds suspicious. According to the maids, numerous people were either brutally injured or imprisoned as a result of harsh questioning. He’s stupid. How dare he?” Seungmin massaged his temples as he finally sat down on the chair beside his desk. He looked furious at how the general treated his people. “Despite all this, he still keeps me locked up in this room.”

Jisung’s uneasiness from last night came back in waves when he heard knocking on the door. Seungmin cleared his throat, “please place the tea on the floor. I’ll get it in a while.”

“Your highness, it’s me, General Kim Donghyun. I wish to speak to you.” The doorknob suddenly started twitching as the general began unlocking it.

“Shit, I forgot he even took the keys of this room from the maids. He’s the only one who can enter my room now,” Seungmin’s eyes widened in panic, ushering Minho to hide. Minho quickly hid beneath the bed, pulling Jisung along. They held hands; Jisung’s grip tighter since a headache began to throb in his head.

“What do you need, uncle?” Seungmin welcomed the general inside and sat back down on the chair. The general sauntered over to the bed before sitting down. As it was early in the morning, he was only donning the rich textile clothing he always wore beneath his usual metal armor. “You never brought me tea before.”

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing, Seungmin. The tension is high and I feel that it’ll bubble over soon.” He placed the teacup on the desk along with a few rose flowers. “Seeing how it is by my orders that you be locked in this room until the threat disappears, I wanted to apologize.”

“I’m doing fine, uncle,” Seungmin reassured, his voice a bit strained when the general placed a hand on his knee. Jisung’s ears ached at the little sounds of Seungmin stirring the teacup in his hand with a little spoon. Why was the tinkling so high-pitched? “You can leave now.” 

“Seungmin, I’m doing this for your own good –,” General Kim began, but he was cut-off by a guard who barged into the room.

“Sir! There’s an intruder in the castle!” The guard yelled.

“A- an intruder? But it’s –” The general murmured to himself. He cursed under his breath before standing up in attention. Jisung saw his face was a mix of anger and confusion.

“Capture him immediately and bring him to the courtyard,” he instructed, looking almost impatient. Jisung could hardly breathe now. Did they know Minho was here? “I’m sorry, Seungmin. I have to go.”

Seungmin didn’t bother saying goodbye. General Kim marched out of the room hastily and slammed the doors shut. Minho rolled out from under the bed. “Do you think they were referring to me?” He asked the prince. Seungmin shook his head.

“It seems the intruder was just recently spotted. If it were you, the guards would’ve been on alert an hour ago,” Seungmin walked to the door and tried pulling it open to no avail. Angrily, he kicked the door and stomped back to the desk. “Of course he didn’t forget to lock the doors to my quarters, of course!” He seethed.

He grabbed the teacup filled with lukewarm tea and poured it into his flower vase filled with daisies. He then picked up the rose flowers and threw them on the ground, crushing them with his feet.

“Whoa, hey!” Minho gasped, and Jisung’s senses were screaming at him to grab Minho and take him back home. However, Minho acted quicker than Jisung’s reflexes. Minho snatched the almost empty teacup from Seungmin and took a sip. He exhaled a sigh of relief. “Okay! It’s green tea. Perfect for plants. That’s what I read in the book I just gave you.” He pointed at the herbology book he brought that was beside the vase.

Seungmin looked exasperated and was about to respond when they heard pained screams from outside the castle. Minho’s face paled. He knew who the voice belonged to. 

“Hyunjin?” Minho voiced out loud. Seungmin’s eyes widened. A second later, they heard the sound of a whip connecting to its target, and a pained scream.

“Minho you have to go, _now_. Your friend isn’t safe!” Seungmin yelled at him in urgency. Minho nodded, Jisung squeezing his hand before going out the window first. 

“Don’t go out of this room, prince. I have a bad feeling about this,” Minho instructed. Seungmin gave him a thumbs up. Minho then leaped from the window, not bothering to climb down the tree knowing Jisung was there. Jisung caught him by the waist and gently placed him on the ground. They looked back at Seungmin, but the prince had already locked his windows and closed his curtains. Immediately, they bolted toward the courtyard, both faces etched in worry.

The scene that greeted them sent rage coursing through their veins. In the middle of the courtyard, a weak Hyunjin was lying on the ground, continuously getting whipped and kicked by the guards.

“Answer the question, you rag,” a guard sneered, kicking Hyunjin’s stomach with his metal shoe which made him flip on his back. Hyunjin coughed and groaned in pain. “Why were you inside the castle?” 

Hyunjin’s face was bruised and bloody, coughing out blood with every kick. His breath was ragged. He glared at the general, who was looking downwards at him with arms crossed. “ _You_ sent me! What the hell is happening?” 

A guard growled. “Do not speak to the general like that!” He raised a whip and Hyunjin screamed, squeezing his eyes waiting for impact. It didn’t come. Minho ambushed them from the sidelines, face flushed red with anger, stabbing the guard on the shoulder. 

“Minho!” Hyunjin shrieked with relief, slowly crawling away towards the grass garden when the guards’ focus left him. Jisung immediately went to his side and inspected him. Hyunjin was definitely worse for wear, but none of his injuries were immediately detrimental. Jisung couldn’t have healed him anyway. Instead, he snapped his fingers, and Hyunjin lost consciousness. Jisung rationalized his direct actions towards another human by thinking Minho would rather see him asleep than in pain.

The guard yelled in surprise and fell to the ground. More guards started charging at Minho, but with an equally enraged Jisung guiding him and heightening his awareness, he was almost-perfectly able to parry and dodge even the ones that came from his blindsides and find openings to non-fatally stab his sword. A flurry of attacks came from every side of the duo, but within a minute, all the guards were subdued. 

As soon as the last guard fell with a pained yelp, General Kim launched himself at Minho, mouth formed into an animalistic snarl. “Lee Minho, a pleasure to finally meet you.”

His sword was immediately blocked off by Minho’s, too close for Jisung’s comfort. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my guards,” the general sing-songed, cutting the air as Minho managed to dodge another of his attacks.

“Only good ones I suppose,” Minho snickered sarcastically when General Kim was able to deflect his own swings. He charged at the general again but was easily parried. “I’m touched that everyone knows my name.”

“They all want you dead, sadly,” General Kim chuckled. Jisung noticed a cut forming on Minho’s cheek. When did he get him? Minho wiped the blood from his cheek annoyedly. “Rags like you have no part in this kingdom, especially annoying thieving ones.”

“Fuck you.”

They were soon engaged in a heated battle, Minho yelling with every attack. Clashes of metal against metal were the only things that could be heard in the silent early morning. Jisung couldn’t do anything but watch as Minho relied on pure battle instinct. His eyes were wide in anger, teeth gritted, and lip bloody from a misjudged parry a few minutes before. His ponytail whipped around with every swing. The general, though looking calm on the exterior, was visibly sweating trying to keep up with him. 

They were currently neck-in-neck; however, Minho was uncharacteristically getting sluggish as the seconds passed. Jisung had to think fast.

Jisung watched their battle, eyes darting around quickly as he analyzed the general intently even though his head screamed at him to just pick Minho up and bolt away. He winced as the general gave a sharp slash across Minho’s stomach, causing Minho to lose his focus, gripping his sliced open tunic. Jisung yelled his name in panic. The general would’ve been able to hit him again, except...

Jisung found it. The general lost his balance slightly when he swung that hard. He had a limp on his right knee. He alerted Minho of his finding. “Minho! When he swings diagonally downwards to your left, kick him on the right knee!” Minho blinked back to focus and nodded in acknowledgment. Once the general got back in his usual stance, Minho hopped backward, aimed, and stabbed his sword directly toward the general’s left flank, who easily dodged the attack. He then positioned his sword for a slice exactly where Minho wanted him to.

“I got you now, rag,” the general sneered, swinging the sword down. 

“Not a chance,” Minho grunted, easily dodging the attack and kicking the general’s knee with a force the angel was sure was more than enough to break it. Just as Jisung predicted, the general fell over quickly, eyes wide with shock. He dropped his sword upon impact with the ground, and Minho kicked it out of the way; Jisung made sure it was definitely out of reach. As soon as the general reopened his eyes, Minho was looming over him, sword raised right above his neck. Minho was absolutely seething, his eyes wide in anger, ready to drive the sword down the other’s throat.

“This is for abusing your people, you bastard,” Minho snarled.

Jisung was at Minho’s side in an instant, putting a hand on his shoulder, using his energy to calm the human down. “Don’t kill, Minho,” Jisung whispered into his ear. Minho gritted his teeth, chancing a side glance at Jisung who was still invisible. He inhaled and exhaled deeply before stabbing the sword a breadth away from the general’s neck, scratching it enough that blood formed.

Jisung thought his uneasiness would let up once the fight was over, but it only intensified. 

Women’s screams cut through the crisp air and a horn blared, alerting the whole kingdom of an emergency. Every light in the castle was turned on, illuminating silhouettes of various people running about in a panic. A maid came running down the castle front steps, looking for General Kim. 

“ _The king is dead!_ ” she screamed. “The prince isn’t answering his door, either!” she then paused before screaming again, as she processed the bloody courtyard.

Jisung was staring at the woman in disbelief when he tugged Minho’s sleeve. “Minho, we have to go right _now_.” As he said the last word, a white pain shot up his spine, blinding him for a whole second. He whipped his head back to Minho, dark blotches impairing his vision, only to find the human’s eyes rolling up into his skull and knees buckling. “Minho!” Jisung supported him as he gently put him to his knees. Minho’s eyes were unfocused and he was sweating buckets, suddenly feverish. From his heavy breathing, Jisung could tell that he was struggling to remain conscious. Suddenly, he coughed and was somehow brought back into focus. A smidge of blood trickled down his chin. He quickly regained his bearings and glared daggers at the general who was pushing himself up.

“Jisung, help, what’s...?” Minho trembled in confusion, his voice slurring. He started coughing even more harshly now. Jisung stared at Minho’s deteriorating state, shaking the sudden pain he felt away before he tried attending Minho.

The general frowned in confusion but smirked the second after, somehow realizing what’s happening. He sat up, wincing at his broken knee. “Lee Minho, you stupid rag,” he spat, a smile forming on his face. In an instant, patrol guards were in the castle courtyard, surrounding them all. One helped General Kim onto his feet. Minho tried retorting, but he couldn’t speak. His eyelids were drooping.

Jisung was panicking, but at least most of the pain left him. He searched Minho’s body for anything that might have caused this. He gasped when his fingers trailed on Minho’s stomach, his fingertips feeling like they were dipped in acid.

Minho was poisoned. _How_?

It wasn’t Jisung’s job to cure him, but his heart couldn’t bear seeing Minho like this. His job as a guardian angel was more on prevention, not cure. He silenced all the voices in his head telling him this was a bad idea and focused on the ones that begged to save Minho. 

As soon as the adrenaline from the fight left Minho, the full effects of the poison kicked in. Minho struggled to even keep his balance. Jisung looked at the sky pitifully and made his decision. Jisung’s eyes glowed golden as he seeped the poison away from the human. It wasn’t much, thankfully, but the damage was done. 

In a flash, Minho was ripped from Jisung’s arms by the guards and his face was pressed onto the ground. An unconscious Hyunjin was thrown into the circle as well. The general pressed his dirty boot on Minho’s head, Minho grunting in pain and frustration.

“Lee Minho. Lee Felix,” the general bellowed in authority, a wicked smile forming on his face. Wait, _Felix_?

 _Lee Felix_? Minho mouthed, eyes growing unfocused. Jisung felt helpless. He couldn’t interfere. He had already healed Minho which was already out of line; the heavens will surely have his neck if he did anything to the humans directly. 

“Guilty of trespassing the castle and presumably the private quarters of the royal family. Accused therefore of slaughtering the current king. A trial will be held in an hour.” He then looked at Hyunjin and shook his head. "Pitiful way of trying to avenge your disgraceful father."

The sun chose then to peek from the horizon, bearing witness as Minho and Hyunjin were dragged like ragdolls toward the dungeons.

Jisung followed them, holding onto Minho’s hand before the human finally passed out from sickness. There were too many things gravely wrong here. 

After seeing Minho wasn’t in any immediate danger as he and a semi-conscious Hyunjin got thrown into their cells, Jisung flew around the castle in search of the private quarters. Again, the voices in his head told him not to interfere, that he shouldn’t mess with fate or human affairs. But Minho needed him. Jisung needed to move. 

He passed through multiple doors and looked for the king’s. As Jisung peered into what made it the tenth room of the hallway, a sound of cowbells clanging came just in the next. There, he saw a person cursing as he tried to untangle a bunch of almost-invisible strings that wrapped around his ankles. The strings had bells and other chimes attached to them which immediately alerted anyone in this floor of his presence. In front of the person was a big set of double doors, slightly ajar. 

Jisung gulped and figured this was the king’s quarters. He slipped inside and, as he expected except not in this manner, was met with the sight of the deceased king. His eyes were open and bloodshot, dried blood staining his lips and chin, and his arm dangling down from his bed with a shattered teacup on the ground. A dagger was plunged straight through his heart neatly. The king’s sword lay atop of his bedside table, clean.

Outside he heard voices speaking, Jisung peeked and saw a guard and the person arguing as the latter was escorted away from the room by his collar.

“Let me inspect the body, please! The king was as dear to me as he were to you,” the person begged, papers in hand.

The guard shook his head. “As per General Kim, no one is allowed to enter the king’s chambers right now.” 

“But, I’m the kingdom medic! I was appointed here due to the threats involving poisoned arrows. I can help find leads toward the assassin,” the medic pleaded, his grip on the papers hard as he grew desperate.

The guard shook his head. “One, the cause of death wasn’t poison. The king was stabbed. Second, the perpetrators are Lee Minho, the most wanted thief in the kingdom, and Lee Felix, son of a former guard, of the slum areas. They were found intruding the castle and by coincidence, the king and prince are dead.” Jisung felt his heart sink. Seungmin… was dead?

The medic scoffed. “No one has even seen the prince!”

“He is not answering the door and only General Kim, who is busy making preparations for the trial, has the key to his quarters. The key got lost in the scuffle against the Lees, however,” the guard said. They were already on the stairs going down. “General Kim is the prince’s uncle and the king’s brother. We were there to witness how no one answered the door despite the general’s pleas. We predicted the worst.”

“He could be sick and paralyzed! He could still be alive!” The medic was exasperated and Jisung was, too. Something was definitely odd. He decided to check out the prince on his own.

Going back, he realized that the hallways of the royal family quarters (which was just the king and Seungmin) were deserted. It was eerily silent. The general must’ve ordered everyone not to place a foot in here for some reason. Why was no investigation taking place? Were they really dead? However, when he arrived at the prince’s quarters and phased through the doors, he was met with a surprise.

Hyunjin was on the ground by a broken window with his arms raised, a leaf on his hair, and a large rock by his feet. In front of him, pointing a wooden sword at his throat was a very much alive Prince Seungmin who was staring the poor boy down. 

“Are you here to assassinate me?” Seungmin jabbed in a hushed tone, voice void of any emotion.

“No– No! You’ve got it all wrong,” Hyunjin stammered, throwing a very much pointed knife from his tunic pocket to the side. “I mean, fine, you’re right! I was supposed to kill you, but I won’t!”

Wait, so Hyunjin actually planned to kill the royals under the name of Felix?

“Why are you here, then?” Seungmin pressed on. Hyunjin gulped.

“Yesterday, a letter was brought to our orphanage in the slums. It was addressed to Lee Felix, youngest and only living son of one of the king’s former guards, but he had contracted the disease two days ago,” Jisung’s eyebrows shot up in worry. Oh heavens, not Felix. Seungmin frowned and lowered his sword a bit.

Hyunjin continued, “it said that a mass of medicine was finally available for the slums and Felix was chosen as the representative to get them, being that he's the only one from our area who the royals knew by name. I was skeptical because his dad is scorned, but he figured he'd be safe since he was being summoned directly. He had to go to the castle at the break of dawn tomorrow. I decided to go in his stead because even if I’m still pretty weak and recovering from the disease, I’m already obviously healthier.”

Seungmin lowered his sword to the ground. Hyunjin breathed out easily. “I was _super_ worried about Felix, so I decided to go a day earlier. Maybe I could at least beg for one bottle in advance? The letter contained a map of the castle and seeing as how the entrance wasn’t locked, I really thought they were expecting me. But when I reached the stairs, the guards captured me. Soon after, from what I recall, Minho and I were accused of killing the king.” Hyunjin shook his head. “You have to believe me. We are innocent.”

Seungmin’s red-trimmed eyes watered at the mention of his deceased father, but he clenched his jaw and willed the tears back. “You’re Hwang Hyunjin, aren’t you? You’re lucky Minho had spoken of you lest I wouldn’t have believed a thing you just said.”

Hyunjin’s breath hitched at the name of Minho. “Minho’s unconscious in the dungeons right now,” Hyunjin recalled and bit his lower lip. “The general took me out of the dungeon and ordered me to drive that knife into the chest of your supposedly dead body. He would pardon Minho if I did so and the whole murder would be pinned on me.” Hyunjin scratched his neck. “So, I took the offer.”

“You do know my uncle was lying, right? He had never let anyone he convicted as a criminal away before,” Seungmin chided.

“Ah, I figured that. But, agreeing with it was the only way I could be let out of the dungeons,” Hyunjin gave a little smile. “I just needed an excuse to talk to you.”

“How did you know I was still alive?” Seungmin raised his eyebrow and offered his hand.

“Minho said you’re too smart for your own good,” Hyunjin bubbled, took his hand, and stood up. “I believe whatever gut-feel that child says.”

Seungmin blushed, retracting his hand away from him. “You’re talking to me now.”

“My and Minho’s trial is beginning right now. Minho didn’t kill anyone, both you and I know that.” Hyunjin sighed, sitting down on the bed. “There has got to be a way to clear his name.”

“For that, we need to learn how my father was killed,” Seungmin replied. Jisung could hear the gears turning in his head. 

“I overheard the guards saying he had a dagger plunged into his chest,” Hyunjin supplied. Seungmin tilted his head to the side in disbelief.

“My father was one of the most skilled swordsmen and he always had a sword at the ready. There should’ve been a loud fight, but no one heard anything. Not even me who is just doors away.”

“He could’ve been killed by surprise?” Hyunjin offered.

“There are guards surrounding the entrance of this area. You saw them yourself when you tried going up the stairs. No one could’ve entered his quarters. That means it’s an inside job. Someone in the castle is the murderer,” Seungmin closed his eyes tightly in thought. “If only we could investigate ourselves, but we can’t risk being seen right now. We can’t risk a commotion. Knowing my uncle, he probably set noise traps around my and my father’s doorways in case someone meddled with the crime scenes.”

Inside, Jisung was patching things up as well. “How else could he have died then?” Hyunjin voiced out, absentmindedly kicking his legs in the air as he lay down on the bed and accidentally hitting Seungmin’s desk in the process, which made the flower vase wobble and tip over. The vase tumbled down, but luckily Seungmin caught it. 

Jisung’s eyes followed the actions and met Seungmin’s daisies and the dark green liquid that poured out and – ah. It was like a lightbulb turned on on top of Jisung’s head. All the dots finally connected.

“How will we solve your father’s case if we can’t even get out of this damn room?” Hyunjin whined.

“I can help, if it’s for Minho,” Jisung surprised himself by chiming in their conversation, his angel wings and halo gone. He awkwardly scratched his head of brown hair as he casually leaned on Seungmin’s door. The two people suddenly went on guard before a flash of recognition passed Hyunjin’s eyes.

Hyunjin was the first to speak, patting Seungmin on the shoulder to let his sword down. “Jisung? What are you –”

“I’ll explain later,” oh, the heavens were probably furious right now. He can’t believe he was revealing who he actually was to other humans. Revealing it to Minho was treason enough. He wondered if Minho’s mentor was right and angel jail existed. “I know how your father was killed.”

When Jisung arrived at the courtyard and flew to Minho’s side, the general had already begun listing the numerous crimes Minho had done. He was sitting on the royal throne used during public trials where the king’s presence was needed. His knee had a stilt and bandage wrapped around it.

The trial was ridiculously one-sided, with three elders, a judge, and the townspeople bearing witness to it. Minho was barely conscious, but still, his wrists were bound behind him on a flagpole and was forced to kneel in front of everyone. His head hung low as guards kicked and spat at him with every offense listed, no matter how small it was or how sure they were that it was him. Jisung was furious, tears overflowing as he helplessly watched his human get mercilessly beat up in front of him. Before he could do anything he would regret, however, General Kim listed the final crimes.

“...The assassination of both King Kim Songjae and Crown Prince Kim Seungmin by a dagger piercing through their hearts.” Minho looked up in disbelief, his eyes heavy and anguish obvious at the mention of his dear friend’s name. His hope. “It is within deep sorrow of their passing. Without the guidance of both titular royalties, the elders had appointed me, General Kim Donghyun, as the temporary head of this kingdom and trial.” General Kim raised his sword above Minho. “Due to great treason toward the kingdom, the elders and I, therefore, pronounce Lee Minho guilty of all his crimes. He is sentenced to death immediately.”

At that moment, the doors of the castle slammed open and everyone’s heads whipped towards them. Numerous royal guards ran out and encircled the people in the trial. As the last guard stepped off the stairs, two figures walked into sight. One of them, clad in violet and gold robes showed himself, a silver crown decorated with rubies and sapphires which Jisung never saw him wear before was nested on his head. A little behind him, a lanky black-haired male in bloodied rags, his face bruised and skin filled with cuts and dried blood, stood with his chin held high.

“Uncle, I’m truly hurt. How could you assume I was killed when you’re the one who trains me to fight? Are you admitting you fail as a swordsman?” Seungmin called out mockingly, the sweet edge to his voice filled with spite. “A knife to the heart – you didn’t even know I was alive. You really want to be king that much?” General Kim looked terribly confused and pale at the moment, the scroll in his hands falling. He glanced at Minho, winced painfully at his sorry state, then glared back at the general. “Sorry for the wait, Minho. I had to gather as many guards around me as possible among other things.”

“Prince Seungmin!” General Kim snapped out of his stupor and went on his knees, wincing at the sudden pressure toward his broken knee and bowed. Seungmin and Hyunjin walked briskly to the courtyard, the former sitting on the now-vacant throne. Seungmin looked like an actual king with the sun hitting him in the right angles, making his stern face look even more serious. Jisung chose this as the right time to try and heal some of Minho’s wounds. 

“Jisung?” Minho whispered when Jisung started caressing his face. He tried forming a smile through all the wounds and bruises. He blinked back the tears of relief of having Jisung finally beside him. “You’re here.”

“I’m sorry I left you,” Jisung whispered back, kissing his cheek while his fingers ghosted the wounds around his body. Slowly, each one started patching themself up, but it also took a tax on Minho’s energy. “I won’t leave you again, I promise.” Minho sighed, feeling the sting of his body healing.

“I’m sorry this happened.”

“Nothing is your fault, Minho.”

“How – You weren’t responding to my calls,” the general stammered, the sight of Seungmin and Hyunjin being together making him jittery.

Hyunjin, who had been holding onto Seungmin’s flower vase, picked up a dead daisy and flung it at the general. “Yeah, _no shit_! You tried to poison him!”

“Poison? I would never,” The general faltered a bit and looked up, a scowl on his face. Seungmin stifled a laugh as the damp flower slipped down the general's helmet and fell on the ground with a sad _splat!_ “What has passed through your head?”

Seungmin then held his hand up and ushered the same medic Jisung saw from earlier. He remembered helping Seungmin and Hyunjin outside the room, exposing who he was to them but thankfully didn’t receive many questions. At least, for now, Jisung thought, as they were under time pressure. As Seungmin analyzed his father’s remains with Hyunjin beside him to give him support, Jisung searched for the medic he met earlier – a certain Yang Jeongin – who hid beneath the stairs, waiting for another chance to enter the royal quarters. A sly fox he was.

Jeongin cleared his throat as he stood in the middle of the courtyard, papers still in hand but now scribbled on. “The king, despite being thought to have been killed by a stab through the chest, was actually poisoned beforehand,” he presented a rough sketch of the crime scene, pointing at a broken teacup. “The poison was found in small drops that remained here.”

Seungmin huffed. “And there was only one person who had entered the king’s quarters before nightfall, isn’t that right?” 

The general paled and struggled to form words. “You have no proof I did it, my prince.”

“We didn’t say it was you,” Hyunjin rolled his eyes. “But you ordered me to poke the prince’s heart with a dagger, the same way the king was killed.”

The general flashed a dangerous smile. “As if anyone would believe your words,” he spat then looked at Seungmin. “Don’t be swayed by him, my prince. Lee Felix is but a filthy rag as is Lee Minho. The slums are out to kill you. They’re the ones who sent out the death threats,” the general tried convincing. “Also, if Lee Minho wasn’t involved in the murder, he had beat up countless of my guards. For years he has been a wanted criminal and needed to be put to rest.”

Seungmin’s scowl deepened at the choice of words. “You’re the one kneeling before us, not Hyunjin nor Minho. You’re the one at my feet. Know your place, general.” The general was sweating terribly, his face scrunched up in disbelief.

Minho started groaning as some of his strength came back. “Also, why do you keep mentioning Felix? That’s not Felix,” Jisung finished healing his wounds. The heavens were surely pissed as hell right now for meddling with humans’ business outside of his duty to protect Minho. However, Jisung knew that Minho’s body had to regain strength naturally, so he patted Minho’s back to calm him down. He then undid Minho’s binds.

“What?” The general choked on his words.

Hyunjin produced a letter from his pocket. “This letter was addressed to an unlucky Lee Felix and was sent by the general himself. His presence was called as the representative of the slums to accept medicine.” Hyunjin shared to the townspeople. “However, Lee Felix fell ill, so I, Hwang Hyunjin, one of two of Felix’s best friends, came in his place.” He placed a finger on his chin and mock-pondered in thought. "If you weren’t the one who wrote this, general, how can you explain that you expected Lee Felix?"

The general’s jaw fell open. His breathing was quick and ragged. The crowd began whispering, accusations of murder falling on the general. “That doesn’t mean I killed anyone!”the general screamed. “You have no proof!”

Minho coughed, a small smile forming on his face. “You messed up, General Kim.” 

Seungmin waved at the flower vase Hyunjin held. “The daisies died minutes after I watered them,” Seungmin began, fingers playing with the brown petals. “I watered them with only one thing, too. Remember the tea you made me?” The general fell on his back, eyes widening in shock. He was shaking his head from side-to-side, getting delirious. Jeongin cleared his throat yet again.

“The poison in the vase and the one found in the king’s teacup are the exact same. This poison was also found in the arrowhead from the first death threat,” Jeongin announced, reading from the notes in the papers in his hands. “It’s a quick-acting poison, meant to drastically weaken a person before death.”

‘It screwed me over with just two drops,” Minho cursed bitterly. “You probably gave it to the king since you knew you couldn’t beat him in a fight, you coward. You then stabbed him to make it look like the cause of death was different, then pin it on Felix. Then stab Seungmin the same way to make it seem there was only one killer since the cause of both deaths was similar.”

The general blinked and his breath quickened even more. He was as pale as a sheet as he realized that he was being cornered. Jisung could hear the general’s heartbeat quickening. Hyunjin laughed before the general could roar back a response. “If you want to say it wasn’t poisoned, why not drink the tea?” Hyunjin stepped forward with the vase in hand, but Seungmin put an arm in front of him.

“There’s no need for that, Hyunjin,” Seungmin cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. “Please don’t steal my words, Minho, but thank you. That’s exactly what I wanted to say,” Seungmin then stood up and faced the judge and the elders who were as shell-shocked as the general at the revelation. “You led my father to paranoia. You made him believe someone was after his life, so he never went out of his room. He trusted you since the news of your brutality against the people who were rumored to be killers spread out. He trusted you were taking your job as the head of the kingdom’s defense seriously,” He faced the general. “He truly believed you were out there helping him, was the only person who he even allowed in his room, when it was the opposite.

“Right after the king drank your tea and died, you stabbed him through the heart. You had to leave immediately to not draw suspicion on you once the king’s body was found, so you weren’t able to clean up. Right after, you headed to my room and locked me in.” Hyunjin gave the general a smug grin. Seungmin raised his chin up high, looking down at the general with only his eyeballs.”Things didn’t go as planned, since Hyunjin came here a day earlier. You weren’t able to clean up the king’s quarters to remove the poison and fix the murder scene to your liking. You also weren’t able to make sure I was truly dead.” Seungmin glanced at Hyunjin and whispered, “thanks, by the way.” 

“I had no idea I did that, but you’re welcome,” Hyunjin smirked and punched his arm lightly.

“Minho being here was a coincidence, but he was one of the greatest threats to your possible rule. You knew Minho was an outlaw and wasn’t afraid of you. He can easily overcome your guards. According to them, Minho had inspired the people to not abide by you. Minho showed them that it was in their right to fight,” Seungmin asserted. Beside Jisung, Minho had his jaw open in shock. Jisung never realized how dense one can be. 

“You needed him gone,” Hyunjin shook his head.

“Even if you managed to rule this kingdom, you knew a rebellion could happen.” Seungmin continued. “I bet you were elated to finally capture him. Killing him would make people lose their hope for change. But you failed,” Seungmin gazed at the crowd, a lot of them nodding their heads, then back at the general. “Uncle, you killed the king and attempted to kill me. Since you’re the closest bloodline to the throne, you’re the next heir to the throne. That was your motive, was it not?”

“Anything to say, general?” Minho asked, rubbing the rope burn off his arms and leaning on the pole.

The general opened his mouth to yell, but observed all the scrutinizing eyes on him and words against him. He exhaled instead. He just laughed, shaking his head, and tried standing up. A guard supported him on his good leg. He was surprisingly at peace. “Ah, there’s nothing left to say. Judging from everyone’s gazes, no one would listen to me anyway. You win, Seungmin.”

Seungmin nodded then glanced towards the elders and the judge who seemed to be just ending their small meeting. The judge stood up, finally, and announced the verdict.

“A unanimous decision between the elders of this kingdom has been reached. General Kim Donghyun is pronounced guilty for the assassination of King Kim Songjae and attempted murder of Crown Prince Kim Seungmin.”

Seungmin fell back on his throne. “Guards, escort the former general to the dungeons.”

“No, that’s not fair!” Jisung didn’t expect Minho to have a sudden outburst. He was wobbly, clinging onto both Jisung and the pole for balance as he stood up. “Convict him for abusing the townspeople, too, my prince! Mention how your father mistreated the land, that the division of class is too apparent and discrimination will no longer be tolerated.” He pointed at the general. “Make everyone learn how much pain the previous regime caused, with this man pioneering everything.”

Before Seungmin could even open his mouth, General Kim whipped his head at Minho angrily, taking a sword from an unsuspecting guard. “Shut up, you fucking cocky _rag_! Aren’t you happy you already won?” He roared, flinging the sword directly at Minho.

Everything happened in slow motion. Seungmin and Hyunjin bolted toward Minho, yelling his name in surprise. Minho tried dodging, but he was still weak and his reflexes were just too slow. His knees buckled when tried to force himself to move. No, he couldn’t have dodged it. The guards couldn’t react on time either.

It was fate. Minho was meant to die today. Guardian angels were only made to prevent and protect, not save. They were not to meddle with humans’ affairs. They were not to show themselves to anyone. 

They were never to bring harm to humans.

Those rules were ingrained in Jisung’s brain the moment he got consciousness, many years ago.

He wondered what exactly was the punishment? 

He’ll find out soon.

Jisung stopped the sword with his bare hands. He was furious. No one should even dare to kill Minho, his only human. The human he had loved for so long. The world had already put him in so much pain. This wasn’t fair. His life ending here wasn’t fair. Minho had dreams. He was the hope to many. He still had things to do.

Jisung’s whole angel form was shown for the whole crowd to see. Jisung was in a blind rage. Only one thing was in his mind: that the person in front of him wanted to take Minho away. With how the sunlight bounced on him in angles and with how bright he was glowing, even if the brightness caused his facial features to obscure, Jisung looked like a god. 

Inside, Jisung felt a little bubble of fear form. It was probably Minho’s gut. It was telling him to run. Jisung was incredibly dangerous. Despite this, he heard someone far away calling his name. It didn’t matter, he had drowned out all sounds around him.

“Don’t you lay a finger on him,” Jisung’s voice thundered and echoed menacingly. He was staring eye-to-eye with the general. The general then started screaming, unable to gaze away from Jisung. The general’s black eyes started glowing white. Jisung then reached forward and caressed the general’s face. “ _Face the wrath of an angel_.”

“ _Jisung_!” Minho stumbled from somewhere behind him and locked him in a tight hug, his knees giving way. He leaned his whole body weight on the angel. “Jisung, come back, please.”

Jisung paused, confused at the sudden interruption. He peered down at the arms that wrapped around his waist. “Jisung, it’s Minho. I’m okay. Jisung, please stop. This isn’t you.” 

The feeling of pleasure as the general clawed his eyes too much. But, once he touched the arms that held him, the eerie pleasure turned into calm.

Minho had his eyes closed as he pressed his face on Jisung’s back. “ _Don’t kill, Jisungie_.” He cried.

This snapped Jisung out of his rage, and he spun around in the others’ arms, looking back at Minho with brown eyes instead of gold. Jisung slowly calmed down, his brightness lessening. He could hear the whispers around them more now. The fear and awe that was in the air. Oh, Jisung had done it now. The general was still screaming, scrambling backward, hands still on his eyes. The rest of the crowd was just staring in astonishment. 

Though terrifying, Jisung was truly beautiful in an angelic way as well.

“Come back to me, Jisungie, I’m here,” Minho pulled Jisung on him and both of them fell to their knees. Minho was crying, ah, did Jisung scare him too much? He pressed his face on Jisung’s chest. “I’m alive, Jisungie. Thank you. Calm down. Don’t leave me. Don’t go. You promised.”

“Minho,” Jisung began, carding his fingers through Minho’s hair.

Suddenly a light from the heavens made all time stop, everyone around Jisung freezing in place. Jisung felt oddly at peace. 

_Here it is_. 

He heard a multitude of voices in his head, listing all the actions he had committed that were out of the line of his duty. He accepted all of them.

Jisung closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the sky, feeling his consciousness slip away and so did his light and grace. He was being called back in the heavens and he was ready to go, but then he felt something heavy on his chest. Minho. 

Jisung smiled, hugging the human closer and kissing his forehead. “I never regretted one thing,” Jisung whispered to no one in particular. “Everything I did, selfish or not, it was for Minho. As long as he’s happy, so will I.”

_Do you truly care about Minho’s happiness?_

Jisung laughed pathetically, tears falling from his eyes as though the answer wasn’t blatant. “Yes, I do.”

_You really want to be with Minho and humans?_

A tear fell from Jisung’s eye. He nodded. “Minho wasn’t the only one lonely.”

_Then finish your duty._

Everything went black.

* * *

Jisung awoke to the sound of a waterfall and the fuzzy feeling of fur rubbing his chin. He sat up with a terrible headache on a mattress. A cat jumped from his chest and outside the cave.

“Jisung? You’re up!” a voice of a male cried a few seconds later, and instantly he was engulfed in a hug. Kisses were peppered on his face. “I was so worried you won’t wake up anymore.”

“Minho?” Jisung rubbed his face blinking at the brown fringe covering half of his vision. “What?”

Jisung gazed at Minho, whose face was still wounded but healing. His hands were wet and he was barefoot. Judging from the flopping fish behind him and a discarded basket, Minho had been fishing beforehand. Minho had tears in his eyes, relieved that Jisung was awake, finally.

“Well, you were asleep for like two weeks – speaking of, here are some apples, eat some,” Minho reached for his desk and picked an apple. “Definitely not stolen!”

“Minho? What… what happened? We’re in the cave?”

“I’ll give you a brief catch-up,” Minho sniffled and wiped his tears away. He opted to hold the other’s free hand and squeezed. “Seungmin was pronounced king a day after the trial. He also appointed Hyunjin as his personal guard. I don't know what happened, but they seemed to have grown really close after the trial. Anyway, Hyunjin doesn't show off much, but he's actually pretty skilled, and that's coming from me!" Minho looked upwards in thought and smiled knowingly.

He cleared his throat and continued, "Felix still runs the orphanage, he insisted, and the slums are being integrated into the city now.” After, Minho started quickly listing more of the things Jisung missed ("the people thanked me for being their inspiration. They're no longer afraid of standing up for themselves. I'm so touched."), but most of them were unimportant ("the apples I buy from the merchants tasted better when I used to steal them.") He realized from Minho's sudden blabbering and shifting eyes that he was intentionally skipping over a certain topic.

“Wait, slow down, what happened after the trial?” Jisung asked, massaging his sore head. The whiplash between his last memory and now was immense. But, at least Minho was safe.

Minho scratched the back of his head in thought. “You see, no one really remembered what happened. A day after you passed out, no one in the kingdom except me seemed to remember you being an angel. They just remembered a bright light, then suddenly a boy passed out in my arms. The general was screaming, as though someone burned his eyes, though. You probably did.” Minho grimaced, thinking of how painful that must’ve been. “He’s also not in his right mind anymore. Kept blabbering about light and repent.”

Minho allowed Jisung to process his words, then he frowned, looking back at Minho. “Wait, what do you mean? I –" Jisung panicked. He tried getting into his angel form, but nothing happened. Jisung felt himself pale. He tried turning his eyes golden to check on Minho’s health but nothing happened again. Minho noticed his struggle and clenched his jaw, his eyes anywhere but Jisung's.

“Jisungie, I’m sorry. A voice – it sounded heavenly and peaceful – talked to me in my dreams the night after the trial. I can't remember the exact words it told me, but," Minho mumbled, an obvious sadness in his voice. He chose then to lock eyes with Jisung. “I don’t think you’re an angel anymore.”

Jisung passed out.

Jisung woke up hours later in the arms of Minho. He remembered what Minho said before he blacked out. Jisung inhaled then exhaled. So, this was the punishment. He gazed at the human, his cheeks were still wet with drying tears. His eyelids were a bit puffy and red. Even still, he looked adorable. He never left Jisung’s side, too. He kept Jisung close to him and took care of him the whole time he was unconscious. Was it wrong that Jisung felt his heart quicken?

“I guess I’m mortal now,” Jisung chuckled. Minho startled and sat up. He looked utterly devastated.

“It’s my fault you lost your graces,” Minho wailed guiltily. Jisung held his hands. “If only I hadn’t spoken –”

“I don’t care, Minho. It’s not your fault at all. I understand your anger that time. I did this to myself,” Jisung stopped him with a kiss. “You weren’t exactly the only outlaw this whole time. I’ve been bending the rules of guardian angels since I can remember.” He kissed Minho again, this time letting his lips linger longer. Their eyes were closed and Jisung let his hands roam Minho’s bandaged biceps. They deepened the kiss until Jisung moved away, letting their foreheads touch and the tips of their nose tickle each other. “Plus, I actually wanted this. I wanted to be with you more than anything. I’m just glad the heavens gave mercy and let me stay.”

“You mean that?” Minho still sounded pretty unsure and Jisung chuckled, remembering the exact same words he asked him not too long ago. 

“Very much so,” Jisung pecked his lips. “I’m also happy that I’ll get to see the kingdom develop as well. With Seungmin leading and Hyunjin by his side, I’m pretty sure he’ll fix his father’s mishandling.” He peeked at Minho, whose hair was tied in a messy ponytail. He smiled.

“The little kids in the orphanage are finally going to school, too. In fact, the slums finally have access to a lot of things and places like medics and libraries now. Seungmin is doing amazing so far. I mean, if he ever goes out of line, Hyunjin and I will literally kick him,” Minho grinned, eyes still closed. “By the way, Seungmin appointed me as the new general. Cool, right?” He leaned forward and kissed Jisung again. 

Jisung giggled into the kiss, a bit surprised. “General Lee, huh? Why are we still here in your little cave, then?”

“Pretty sure you wanted to see it one last time before we moved into the kingdom. The castle actually. I chose a room that had a veranda so we can look at the sky,” Minho parted from the kiss and opted to lay his head on the angel’s shoulders. “Plus, this was our home for the longest time. I wanted to have some final moments with you here with everything still in its place before we leave.”

“ _Meow_ ,” Soonie seemed to call them from the entrance of the cave. He then walked out, probably telling them to follow him.

Jisung stood up, his headache now finally gone. He pulled Minho to his feet, too. They walked outside past the glistening waterfall. Above them, the stars shone bright, as though the heavens wished them all the luck.

Minho gazed at Jisung tenderly. He tilted his chin up and gave him a kiss. “I love you,” Minho whispered.

“I love you, too,” Jisung smiled, elated that he was finally with Minho without anything stopping him from loving the other. He mirrored the fond look on Minho’s face. “Want to talk to the stars?”

**Author's Note:**

> you can talk to me here: **[twitter](http://twitter.com/linoriing)** & **[curiouscat](http://curiouscat.me/hanmiing)**!  
> 
> 
> thank you for reading!! kudos & comments are very much appreciated! again, do read the other minsung ficathon works if you have time!! ♡
> 
> **a/n:** this is just a little ramble! i wrote this fic during a _really_ hard time and i was actually so close to abandoning this at around 40-60% completion. if it weren't for my friends (& the nagging in my head), i don't think i could've finished it! hence, i'm not the proudest, but i still feel very accomplished that i was able to push through despite it all even if this didn't go 100% as planned. nonetheless, i really hope you enjoyed this as much as i did conceptualizing & giving life to ~~underpaid~~ angel jisung & his ~~mockingjay~~ youthful thief minho! :D


End file.
